


To Dust or To Gold

by Second_Lady_of_Shalott



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, How Do I Tag, I Blame Tumblr, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Pageantry, i should be studying, prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-13
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-02-28 14:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2735438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Second_Lady_of_Shalott/pseuds/Second_Lady_of_Shalott
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU.<br/>"Captain America" was his nickname in the pageantry business. The line of successful Miss New Yorks and Miss Americas in his resume made everyone clamored to have him on their team. Nothing happened without his approval and he was king.</p><p>Until a scandal with his candidate forced him to retreat from it all in shame. Five years later, he's the shadow partner to his best friend's fashion company when the past finally catches up to him in the form of Tony Stark.</p><p>He's left it all behind--or has he?</p><p>Twenty-two years old Darcy Lewis wasn't just any assistant. She's the assistant to James Barnes, the current "in" fashion designer. It's her bad luck though to be surrounded by models and hot gay men. Not to mention her shitty computer dying on her. </p><p>It's also her bad luck she happens to be there the day Tony Stark stops by to recruit Steve Rogers back into the pageantry business and she's immediately fired.</p><p>Only to be hired as Captain America's assistant. </p><p>Now she's seriously regretting taking on the internship with Jane a year ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I was on tumblr, trying to feed my Shieldshock/Wintershock addiction by looking at gifs.
> 
> And what happened?
> 
> I walked in, not going to buy anything and came out with a bunch of prompts/ideas. 
> 
> This fic was inspired by a prompt on fuckyeahdarcylewis tumblr where Nymorabee said she wanted a Miss Congeniality AU fusion fic with the pairing Steve/Darcy. 
> 
> Um, it's not what she wanted and while I want the pairing to be Steve/Darcy, it could end up as Steve/Bucky/Darcy too. That and I have only seen the last thirty minutes of the movie constantly. Its just one of those movies where you never fully see it.
> 
> Also, this was inspired by the drama Miss Korea. The story will have some basic plot from it ( From the first episode so we're all good).
> 
> By the way, Steve and Bucky are ten years older than Darcy. I had to make them older in order to be able to fit army time and reputation time and make it believable.

_Las Vegas, Nevada_

She was beautiful in red. 

The Woman in Red was a cautionary legend, a warning to men, but he thinks that if he was being led to his death by a woman in red like Peggy, death would be sweet.

He swallows before he gathered himself professionally and said,"Once the judges see you in that dress, Peggy, the title is ours."

Her bright red lips spread into a smile he's hopelessly falling in love with and she quickly glanced at Bucky in the audience.

"All thanks to James's dress." she said, smoothing down the modest red gala dress Bucky had designed and sewn for her final round. It was the exact shade of red as her signature lipstick.

The hint of a British accent betrayed just how nervous she really was. Peggy had moved to New York from England when she was eighteen and although she never returned, her accent had stuck with her. It had taken a voice coach and several lessons before they got rid of most of it. Steve misses it.

"We've worked for this moment, Peggy. Don't be nervous. Remember what I taught you and you'll see. You'll be Miss America by the end of the night." he promised, holding her gaze until she began to move into position to go on stage.

"Save me a dance, Steve." she said as a parting.

He nodded. He watched as she stepped on stage with the semi-finalists and hoped his winning streak continued. He wanted desperately to see Peggy win. For the whole world to see the beauty and strength she held. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, it was just down to Miss Florida, Miss Texas, and Miss New York.

"Our second runner-up is..." the announcer paused as he opened the envelope and looked at it, "Miss Florida!"

Miss Florida graciously accepted her prize and as the announcer told the two remaining ladies to step up, Steve's heart pounded even faster.

"Finally, ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've been waiting for. The new Miss America is..." There was a dramatic pause before,"Miss New York! Congratulations!"

The former Miss America strutted forward with her crown, sash, and bouquet. Steve has never clapped so hard for any of his girls like he did in this moment. Peggy Carter, draped with the sash and crowned with rubies, was a vision of beauty.

As Peggy began to walk down the runway and start her new term as Miss America, Steve felt invincible.

_The next day, everything came crashing down and he broke, falling down._

 

 

Five Years Later

_Brooklyn, New York_

"You stupid piece of shit!" she whispered furiously as she gave the computer a few hard whacks with the thick look book on her desk.

Had she known that accepting the job would lead to a very stressful morning every day, Darcy Lewis would not have accepted the job. Okay, she totally would've anyway but Darcy could've brought her laptop from New Mexico instead of abandoning it to Jane's shenanigans.

Heavy footsteps from the corridor and the elevator made her stop what she was doing and Darcy quickly glanced at the desk calendar to see what was happening today.  She located the files and notes needed and was neatly organizing them when Mr. Grant came in with the morning order.

"Good morning, Miss Lewis." he said, a smile on the corners of his mouth, as he stopped momentarily to hand her her morning latte and croissant sandwich. Darcy took the few seconds he looked down to give him a glance over.

_Well, fuck._

As always, Mr. Steve Grant never disappointed her in being handsome and stylish every day.

 "Good morning, Mr. Grant." she replied, flashing him a smile as she passed over the required files for the day and took a sip from her latte. He nodded in thanks and continued on to the back of the studio.

Darcy waited until the door clicked and she heard her boss loudly greet his partner before continuing to whack the old computer into working mode.

"Seriously, the nineties called and they need you back there. Not here!" she exclaimed.

.

.

.

WHACK! THUMP!

It was shortly followed by impressive swearing.

"You're an asshole, Bucky Barnes." commented Steve as he smiled over at his friend.

Bucky laughed, "Me? You're the one who sees her every morning, Steve! Why haven't you told her we can hear her abusing the computer from here?"

Steve rolled his eyes and dropped the subject as he glanced at the corkboard wall. Half sketched designs and swatches of cloth covered the majority of it, followed by random objects pinned next to them as inspiration. The studio was a disaster, and he spotted a sleeping model wearing half a dress, semi-buried under various unfinished projects.

"Is that Naomi over there?" he asked, motioning with his coffee mug at her.

"Hmm?" Bucky looked over, "Yeah. I asked her to stay so I can finish altering the dress but she crashed after midnight."

Five years ago, Bucky got his moment of fame. The dress he designed for Miss New York had drawn online interest and Bucky decided it was now or never to launch his career as a fashion designer. Despite everyone telling him not to mix business and personal together, Bucky asked Steve to co partner with him on the business and Steve agreed, as long as no one else knew about it.

The "Winter Soldier" brand has grown so rapidly over the years that Steve was forced to look for an assistant to replace himself as he took over more of the business side to give Bucky more freedom to design.

Unfortunately, it wasn't him who hired Darcy Lewis in the first place.

 

 


	2. The Scientist and the Intern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James Barnes is asked by fashion icon Frigga Odinson to design and make both the engagement and wedding dresses for Dr. Jane Foster. Upon arriving in New Mexico, he meets the person who runs the place efficiently - Darcy Lewis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is going to jump back and forth between the past and the present in order to set the stage for what's going to happen later on.

One Year and a Half Ago

_Upper East, New York_

When James Barnes launched his new fashion line despite the scandal surrounding the newly crowned Miss America, while it was successful online, he still needed access to the fashion world in Paris to truly make it. It had been Frigga Odinson, fashion icon and modern princess of the people, that had launched him into success and recognition. 

So when Steve asked him when he was available to meet Mrs. Odinson for a favor she needed, Bucky said, "As soon as she wants."

Which brought him to where he was now. Bucky had dropped all appointments unto Steve's lap while cursing the fact that neither of them could agree on the type of assistant needed for the company. He smiled at Mrs. Odinson while trying to think what she wanted from him. Bucky usually kept up with the lives of his wealthy clients in order to design and be ready with suggestions should they approach him.

Poised and proper like a queen, Frigga Odinson set down the courtesy cup of coffee Bucky had brought her and smiled back at him.

"I am glad you could see me at such short notice, Mr. Barnes." she started off, "I myself, was unaware of the situation until it was brought to my attention."

"What happened?" he asked.

"My eldest son, Thor, will soon announce his engagement at the upcoming New Year gala we're hosting. Unfortunately, my future daughter-in-law has left her attire to the last minute and her assistant was kind enough to bring it to my attention." she paused to gather a few papers and handed them over to Bucky, "You are talented and extremely so at last minute deadlines. I would love it if you could prepare the engagement dress and design the wedding dress also. No expenses spared, of course."

Bucky's mind flashed back to when Frigga had stepped unto the red carpet of her son's movie premier in the blue dress he had made for her and fashionistas demanded to know the designer, since the dress held no signature mark of any they knew.

_"My dress?" Frigga laughed as she smoothed out the cascading material, "Designed by the Winter Soldier himself."_

Well, there was only one thing he could say to her.

"Of course. But I will need to see your future daughter in law in person to get the correct vision needed."

.

.

.

_Puente Antiguo, New Mexico_

 

 "James Buchanan Barnes, I will hire an assistant without your approval." threatened Steve. 

Bucky laughed into the phone as he gazed at where Dr. Jane Foster, the future Mrs. Odinson, worked and lived. While he was informed that Thor's girlfriend was a scientist, Bucky had imagined the address led to a private sector lab or somewhere in a university.

"You know I owe Mrs. Odinson, punk. Otherwise, we'll be living under a bridge in Brooklyn. Listen, as soon as I come back, I'll look through their qualifications and you can pick one out of the ones I like." he promised as he went up to the door and knocked.

"I'll hold you to that, jerk." Steve said and hung up.

A few minutes passed and Bucky knocked again more forcefully.

 "Can one of you get the door? I'm busy!" Hollered a voice inside. 

James waited for for a bit until he realized no one was coming and was about to knock when the door opened. 

"Sorry for the wait." 

Curvy, long curls, accompanied by a sexy librarian vibe, a twenty-something year old woman peered at him sheepishly over her glasses.

He chuckled. 

"At least a human opened the door this time. Last time I personally fitted someone, I was chased off property by a robot maniacally waving a fire extinguisher."

She let out a laugh.

"Well, Mr. Barnes, you're in luck. The only danger you have to face is getting Jane to stay still to be measured, draped, and fitted."

He smiled charmingly as he entered the building.

.

.

.

Darcy Lewis turned out to be correct. 

Dr. Foster was a beautiful dainty woman, the type designers would fight to outfit and have walk down the runaway. 

Instead, the clothes she wore were years out of date and she kept on absentmindedly fidgeting as he tried to figure out what color to choose for the engagement party and just how daring she was willing to go on the design.

"Darcy! The calculations--!" Jane suddenly cried out as she stared at the clock in horror, ready to bolt from the room.

Darcy Lewis, Dr. Foster's unpaid intern, stuck her head in quickly. 

"I already wrote down the results and ran them again for consistency." She announced before leaving. 

Dr. Foster sighed in relief and Bucky smiled. 

"Quite the assistant you have." He remarked as he released Jane from the swatches of cloth he pinned on her earlier.

"Oh, Darcy's more than that--she's family. Without her, I wouldn't have met Thor." 

.

.

.

Bucky worked through nights as the inspiration motivated him to finish the engagement dress on time. The wedding dress had been easy to design to Jane's approval and the materials needed were back in New York. 

During the day, he watched Darcy Lewis run things smoothly. The efficiency and execution reminded him of the qualifications Steve and he agreed on wanting for their assistant. 

And an idea began to form as soon as he learnt Darcy had been evicted from her apartment due to being behind rent.

.

.

.

"Come work for me in New York." 

Of all things Darcy was predicting Mr. Barnes to say, that was a curveball. 

"What?" She said. Maybe she heard wrong. 

It was the day after the New Year's gala and Darcy has been enjoying seeing the social pages splattered with her favorite couple. 

"I know you're loyal to Dr. Foster Miss Lewis but my partner and I need an assistant capable of running things solo if needed. Over the last few days, I've seen you are capable of that and more." He started, staring into her disbelieving eyes. 

He slid the contract across the table to her, smiling his trademark smile--the one that once got him lucky constantly with women.

Darcy almost swooned at seeing how much benefits she would be getting along with the pay (not as extravagant as Ms. Potts's was rumored to be but better than being Jane's intern or starting in the political career). She had been hoping for an opportunity and it had come in the form of the Winter Soldier designer. 

"When do I start?" She asked. 

.

.

.

  _Upper East, New York_

Steve was sorting through the applicants one more time. Bucky was scheduled to arrive today and he was determined to not leave the studio without the decision of their new assistant. 

"Hey punk, you're still here?" greeted Bucky as he entered. 

Steve smiled at seeing him, the smile weakening a bit as he noticed the young woman walking in behind Bucky. Before he could say anything however, Bucky made a "tada!" motion at her.

"Meet our new assistant!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a struggle to write. Back to the present we go in the next chapter!


	3. The Magic Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Darcy spends a day with Mr. Grant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I apologize for my ignorance at the fashion world.

As part of her morning routine, Darcy gave up on the computer ten minutes after Mr. Grant went in and went on Facebook from her phone to relieve the stressful anger.

Scrolling down her news feed, she realized family drama was heating up again between the Odinson brothers based on Loki's cryptic status update and her notifications bare of Thor's game requests.

How Darcy ended up being Facebook friends with the twelve timed Oscar nominate and seven times winner actor Loki Silvertongue was a mystery she preferred not to know the details of.

 Savoring each sip of coffee while she cyber-stalked, Darcy's mind wandered over to her boss Mr. Grant. Now that was a mystery she wouldn't mind solving. 

Unfortunately for Darcy, he was 100% Barnes' man.

As if to prove her point, the door opened to reveal both of her bosses, whispering to each other intimately. 

She took the few seconds given to her to make her phone disappear and look like doing the spreadsheet on screen was a matter of life or death.

 Darcy missed the amused fond look they gave her before Bucky cleared his throat to get her attention.

 "Darcy, you'll be with Steve for the rest of the day. There's nothing more I can do to the new line without my models." Bucky informed her as he motioned Steve towards her before he went back into the studio. 

Steve cleared his throat nervously and shuffled his feet. While they've been awkward at the beginning and were now comfortable with each other enough to bring the other food, there was still some distance between them of a sort.

Darcy decided to rescue him.

"So where are we off to, boss?" She asked, swinging her chair to the side.

"We'll be visiting a few model agencies to pick out the type of models Bucky wants for his fashion show." replied Steve in relief as he headed towards the door.

Darcy quickly grabbed her bag from under her desk along with her phone and followed after.

.

.

.

"Oh, I forgot to bring a pen and notebook along." Mr. Grant mournfully said and cringed as he brought out the new smartphone Bucky had forced on him to use the note app on it.

His aversion to technology was infamously known to everyone who worked for the Winter Soldier. Darcy knew it was his fault that the old computer had survived this long into the millennium years. 

"No worries, boss. I've got you." said Darcy, putting aside her furious texting to Jane about getting the inside info about the new installment in the Odinson family drama saga.

She's thankful for Thor and Loki in her life. They remind her that she shouldn't aim to be rich because when rich people had problems, they had _problems_.

Darcy hauls her huge bag into her lap and rummage through it. One minute later, she pulls out a slightly crumpled notebook and a pen. 

"Thank you, Miss Lewis." He said gratefully, taking the offered items with a lopsided grin.

 She waved off the thanks with a bashful smile and peeked at her phone to see Jane's reply.

_What drama?_

Darcy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her former boss lady and only BFF in the world. She was forming a quick text back when the numbered models came filing in. All of them tall and thin, with graceful walks in sky high heels.

Immediately, Mr. Grant began to jot things down. After a moment, he stopped and motioned to agency representative towards him to whisper low to him.

Meanwhile, Darcy pretended to know she knew what she was suppose to know. She knew that last year, Bucky and Steve had gone out to pick the models, leaving her to run the office.

Back then, it had been a leap of faith in her from both of them. Now, she guessed, it was the same sort of situation except it was solely with Steve this time. 

"Please begin, ladies." ordered her boss, shattering through her thoughts. She blinked to see that of the fifteen, only 8 remained left, walking the runway walk for view.

Suddenly, he leaned over to her to speak softly with her,"In your opinion, Miss Lewis, which do you recommend? " 

She wet her lips nervously as she gathered her thoughts. 

"4,7, and 8." She announced, glancing at him,"Not only do they fit the criteria we're looking for but their looks complement the majority of the spring line."

He nods with approval.

In the end, of the three she suggested, only number 8 was hired.

"We've never worked with 7 but we've seen and heard about her. She's high maintenance and rarely shows up on time. You know how we get about the time. 4, I've made arrangements to contract her for the other shows coming up but she won't be available for the spring fashion show." He explained to her as they drove to their next agency visit.

"Why not?"

He looked embarassed and ashamed of himself, like he was about to tell her someone's secret.

"You'll find out later. Everyone will talk about it." 

Guess it wasn't just rich people having troubles today.

. 

.

.

"I should've brought some change with me " 

Since the parking lot was full, they had to park in the street. Unfortunately for Mr. Grant, the credit card slot was out of order and the meter gave no change back.

Darcy pulled out her coin purse from one of the outer pockets of her purse.

"I still got you, boss." She said in triumph.

Mr. Grant smiled.

.

.

.

 Watching Mr. Grant with the models was an experience.

Even though the agencies offer to give him the portfolio of the models that stayed for the second round, he refuses. After careful analyzation and jotted notes, he picked the models.

"Mr. Grant has the magic touch." remarked the representative, Ian Boothsby, by her side.

That was totally not what she was expecting to hear.

"What?" She asked, turning sideways to look at him.

 "I don't know about the other agencies but the ones he picked from here, they go on to be highly demanded for." He elaborates before motioning to a stunning portrait of a model on the wall near them. "First time Mr. Grant came here, he only chose her. Now Miss Kate is one of the supermodels and was the main Angel at the Victoria's Secret fashion show."

"Huh." 

"That man has a gift. Various agencies had tried to sway him into becoming a talent recruiter but he declined every time."

"Of course he did."

.

.

.

"Here are your models, jerk." greeted Steve as he handed over the stack of papers he carried to Bucky.

"Kinda hard to put clothes on paper, punk." Bucky said as he began to flip through them.

Since Bucky was lounging on her desk, Darcy sat on the couches in the waiting area and checked her messages.

Only one message from Jane and it was a link to an article. 

She clicked it.

A photo of the gorgeous (but troubled) actor loaded first. The photo must have been taken while he was with his mother because there was the tender look on his face that he always got at looking at her.

Underneath, the headline read,"Where hasn't Silvertongue been?"

Scrolling down and reading it, she could see why Thor went underground. His brother was being incriminated for socializing with various terrorist groups, drug abuse, attempted murder, person of interest in three outgoing missing person cases, and his sexual life.

Darcy seriously doesn't want her connection to Loki to surface at all. 

"I need a drink." groaned Steve, settling across from her and unknowingly reading her mind.

"Definitely. You should've seen the fit Naomi threw when I asked her to stay again." Seconded Bucky.

"Am I off the clock?" She asked. When they both nodded, she dug into her bag and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and four coffee Styrofoam cups.

Bucky and Steve stared at her in shock. The chair spun as Bucky quickly got off it to go to her side. 

They both side eyed her bag. 

"What else do you have in there?" Bucky asked her, reaching out a hand at her  purse before pulling it back.

"Just stuff." She said, waving his question off as she began to pour liquor into the cups.

Steve looked as if he was about to ask her to clarify before thinking twice of it. As if she'll pull out her brick sock from her bag and smack him.

Like Darcy would do it to him.

.

.

.

_Manhattan, New York_  

The skyline of New York was breathtaking at sunset.

Not that he would know anymore. It's been a few months since he lived in anything that had that type of view.

He was lucky his girlfriend loved him enough to let him live with her. 

The silence shattered with a smooth British accented voice.

_Sir, I've located Captain Rogers._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! The plot is finally picking up! I'm so excited!


	4. A long distance to recover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark --genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist -- has fallen hard from favor.

☆

"And just one mistake 

Is all it will take

We'll go down in history

Remember me 

[...]

No, it's nothing wrong with me

The kids are all wrong

The stories are off 

[...]

And I can't stop 

til the world knows my name."

\- Centuries, Fall Out Boy

.

.

.

Tony Stark had once been the public' darling boy.

He'd grown up under their watchful eyes, his every footsteps measured, every girl he dated criticized, and he dazzled them with his brilliance in return. 

To New York, he was their version of the royal family. 

Tony never imagined anything else different, never felt the public would turn on him, tear him down like they had for many other celebrities.

But in the end, they did.

And the fall was great.

.

.

.

They say you'll know who your true friends are when you need them.

Whoever they are, were right.

.

.

.

In the end, only three stood by his side.

.

.

.

 "Finally." He replies, turning to place his glass of wine on the table next to him before picking up the tablet where JARVIS resided in.

Once, his AI had the run of an empire. Now, the AI was constrained to the limits their situation had enforced upon them and it had taken longer than necessary to locate the man Tony needed.

 The file was ready for him to view. There was a picture of Steve Rogers and Tony couldn't connect this man to the proud one shown in his father's pictures. The coloring and features were the same but he sported a beard and was leaner. He was also known as Steve Grant now 

Mr. Steven Grant was the shadow partner of James Barnes in the rising Winter Soldier brand. The only time he ever showed his face was when he chose the models. Every model he picked soon went on to be successful.

Luckily, there was an address listed for their office. Tony figures there's less chance to get the door slammed in his face if he visited during business hours.

"I am Tony Stark." He murmured reassuringly to himself. 

 His reflection in the hallway mirror told another story. Not being a millionaire was bad for him. The only time he looked worst was when he escaped his kidnappers in Afghanistan. 

Familiar clicking had him clicking out of the downloaded file and a quick "Not a word about this to Pepper" to JARVIS.

When Pepper Potts stepped in, home at last, she found her boyfriend sitting on the couch, watching Jeopardy reruns and bemoaning about how easy Jeopardy was.

 "I hope everything is exactly how it was when I left this morning." She says, stooping to quickly kiss Tony. 

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" He said with an air of innocence she was now immune to.

Twenty-something years of being his PA did that to her.

Tony took the moment to look over her. During his fall from grace, she had stood steadfast besides him but he had managed to pull in a few favors to cast Pepper in a more favorable light than what Stane had been saying.

It was how Pepper Potts finally acquired the official title of CEO, after many years of running the company in the shadows. 

Despite her workload lessening up (not having to deal with forcing Tony to meetings, having him sign papers, and etc), Pepper was looking more tired than ever. 

He blamed Stane.

"Is everything okay at work?" He asked,  wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap. 

Her brows furrowed before she sighed and relaxed in his arms.

"Mr. Stane is trying to convince the board to pressure me into resigning or stepping down from CEO." She revealed, a hint of steely disapproval in her voice. Whatever Stane had planned for Pepper, she wouldn't be easily fooled.

Not like Tony had been. 

At this, Tony's heart began to beat faster and he tried to take deep breaths. He was running out of time. He had to begin taking action now.

"He won't succeed, Pep. The board knows who really ran Stark Industries all these years and it wasn't Stane either." Tony reassured her.

She smiled, pleased. He never really complimented her on her work, choosing to do so through material goods instead. 

They had a quiet dinner. Since he had nothing to do anymore, Tony had become Pepper's househusband and taken to keeping her apartment clean after he realized he was adding on to her stress by taking apart her electronics and trying to build something else. 

It surprised Tony to realized he had picked up a lot of cleaning and cooking tips from his family's Butler, Edwin Jarvis, who had raised him until his early youth. 

And whatever he didn't know, JARVIS took care of that quickly. When Tony gets rich again, he's definitely buying YouTube.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to do a serious overhaul of the kitchen inventory." He warned Pepper as they got ready to snuggle and sleep. 

Pepper started at that and turned to him. 

"I have to go on that tour I was telling you about earlier than planned. I've been going over old reports and I'll be frank, the numbers are still not adding up."

He frowned. The stress was really getting to his girlfriend if she forgot to tell him. 

Tomorrow, he'll rearrange the kitchen and help Pepper pack. The day after that, he'll hunt down Steve Rogers. 

And it'll be Stane's turn to fall. 

Tony will make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a while to update but Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! 
> 
> I'm not going to lie--that recent pageantry scandal inspired me back to this lol 
> 
> The song finally came into the story too.
> 
> Wishing my readers the best of everything!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to fess up --I don't know anything about pageantry except bad reality shows and movies/dramas. I did do a little research and concluded Miss [Insert State Here] and Miss America is every year. If this bother you, message me so I can poke your brains to make this story more believable. 
> 
> Title is taken from "Centuries" by Fall Out Boy. 
> 
> Late disclaimer: I don't own anything otherwise I would make it rain.


End file.
